This week in weather: Tahoe expecting biggest storm in 13 months, as CO & the PNW get hammered by snow

It’s going to be one hell of a powder week, ladies and gents. Our friends over at Open Snow have scoped out the weather patterns, and it’s shaping up to be an epic week of snowfall across the West. Long-suffering Tahoe is finally seeing some serious snow, as the biggest storm in 13 months piles on the powder, with some of the top accumulations in the country stacking up at Sierra at Tahoe and Kirkwood. Colorado is getting similarly pummeled, as totals reach up into the 3 foot range at resorts across the state. Crested Butte and Steamboat top the charts, though Aspen, Breckenridge and Monarch are still set for a serious dose of fresh snow. Montana and Wyoming are joining the rest of the West, prepping for upwards of 2 1/2 feet by the weekend.

Read on to see what’s going on weather-wise in your region this week:

The storm system that will be crossing the country this week | GIF courtesy of OpenSnow.com

The Pacific Northwest:

The next few days are looking pretty prime up in Oregon, as areas across the state can expect a good dose of fresh snow. Mt. Bachelor could see up to 20 inches by Friday morning, with up to 15 at Timberline, while Mount Hood is looking at around 12 inches Wednesday, with another 8 added on Thursday. Washington is also looking at a solid week in snowfall, with Mt. Baker adding up to 6 inches Wednesday, and another 9 on Thursday. Crystal Mountain is in even better shape, with up to 11 inches predicted to fall on Wednesday, with another 12 piling on over the weekend. Stevens Pass, for its part, is predicted to see about 8 inches Wednesday, 6 more Thursday, and an additional 5 inches by Sunday. Many resorts across WA will see snow continuously through the end of the week, with either a break or very light accumulations continuing on through the weekend.

The Northern Rockies:

The snow is coming down all across Montana this week, with storms racking up inches Wednesday through Saturday. To get specific, Showdown Mtn. is predicted to get 16 inches over the next two days, while Big Sky can expect up to 11 inches Wednesday, plus another 8 by end of day Friday. Whitefish is looking at 16 inches by Saturday, while Bridger Bowl ups the ante a bit with 18 inches. When it comes down to it, the entire state of Montana is looking solidly snowy.

Moving over to Wyoming, Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee & Teton Pass are sitting pretty with 15 inches predicted to fall over the next two days, with 21 inches adding up at Grand Targhee by the end of the weekend. No matter where you look, the Northern Rockies will be set for snowfall for a bit. Grab your board, call in sick, and enjoy!

The Northeast:

It’s shaping up to be a mellow week in the Northeast, with cold temps but not much to speak of in the way of snowfall. A light storm system is expected to move through on Friday, but it will be pretty weak, dropping just about 1-3 inches on resorts in Northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Western Maine. Higher elevations might see some snow on Wednesday night, but the accumulation looks to be just an inch or less.

Colorado:

Big things are happening in the mile-high state, and no, we’re not talking about football. A huge storm is about to rip across the region, beginning on Wednesday and continuing on through Saturday. What begins Wednesday night as light snowfall will gain momentum through Thursday, where a band of heavy snow is expected to hang over the Northern mountains, moving South through the night. The San Juans will wake up to some sweet new snow on Friday morning, though at this point the storm will have quieted down a bit across the rest of the state. Snow showers will hang around through Saturday, seeming to taper off Saturday night. Colorado Daily Snow meteorologist Joel Gratz notes that the snow will be dense on Wednesday and Thursday, but will be fluffier on Friday, meaning Friday and Saturday will be your prime days for riding. Total accumulations should be around 1-2 feet across the state, but Crested Butte is going to be the place to go, as up to 25 inches are expected by Saturday morning.

The powder forecast for the West through Friday | Graphic courtesy of OpenSnow.com

One thing to be aware of, however, is that the wind will be pretty intense on Thursday, picking up to about 50-70 mph and making for potential iffy driving conditions. Stay safe!

Utah:

Wednesday and Thursday are looking mighty promising in Utah, as 10-20″ of snow are predicted to fall in areas above 8,000 ft. The valleys will see some rain showers, but higher up the snow will be falling, meaning that when the lifts start running Thursday morning, there should be about 6-12 inches of fresh just itching to be tracked. Though the snow is expected to taper off Thursday night, the storms will continue on Friday and Saturday, with very light accumulations. Overall, about 10-20 inches are predicted to fall by the end of day Thursday, so this weekend should make for some nice riding.

The Sierras:

Tahoe is finally getting snow! A lot of snow, at that. The NWS has forecast the biggest storm in 13 months to hit the region, with snow beginning to fall on Wednesday night and continuing on through Friday; areas around Tahoe actually top the charts in terms of powder accumulations over the next few days. The temps will drop as the weekend arrives, with another round of snow showers expected to make an appearance on Sunday. After a brief stint of warm weather early on next week, the cold front is expected to take over again, providing the area with more snow in the second half of next week. As far as specific resorts are concerned, it looks like Kirkwood & Sierra at Tahoe will see up to 25 inches of new snow over the next 4 days, a stellar comeback from what has been an overwhelmingly dry season so far.

The Midwest:

While things are expected to quiet down for a while in the Midwest, a quick dose of snowfall is predicted to hit the area on Wednesday and Thursday, as a cold front drops out of Canada and meets the storm system currently moving over from the West Coast. Anywhere from 2-4″ of snow are expected to fall, starting over western Minnesota and moving up into the panhandle Thursday mid-day. The storm will be short and sweet, wrapped up and moved on before sunrise Friday morning. After this short-lived system moves through, the Midwest should expect some warmer temperatures and mild weather.

What the Midwest can expect, through Thursday night | Graphic courtesy of OpenSnow.com

Alaska:

Our Eaglecrest, AK report comes courtesy of Sarah Cannard & NOAA who reports that the area will be seeing cloud cover and a drop in temps throughout the week, though no snow is predicted to fall in the near future. For those living around Alyeska, it will be a similarly mellow week, with just about 2 inches predicted to fall over night on Wednesday, before warmer temps move in a quiet few days ensue.